As a self-identifying Cameron Tory, my initial response to realising we were going to be stuck with a hung parliament was one of concern: given the need for quick action on the economy a majority able to act seemed vital, while many of the ideas in the "big society" agenda might never see the light of day. Yet on reflection I think there is a major advantage in a Tory-Lib Dem pact: it will allow Cameron to prove the progressive nature of his party. If an agreement can be reached, giving the Lib Dems cabinet seats and incorporating some of their policies, particularly in education and green energy, it could do more than anything else to place the Conservatives in the centre ground of British politics. Successful co-operation would show that this was not the same old Tory party, and at last give Cameron access to the Labour heartlands he has failed to penetrate.